Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Miaoli

For one person, living is cheaper in Miaoli: $768 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Miaoli
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Miaoli Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Miaoli

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Miaoli

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Miaoli actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $768 in Miaoli, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Miaoli $768

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,069 in Miaoli, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Miaoli $1,069

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,370 in Miaoli, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Miaoli $1,370

Medellin costs about 113% more than Miaoli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Miaoli is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$2.53 NT$82.1

219.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$23.04 NT$747

104.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$4.69 NT$152

102.56%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.94 NT$95.4

2.38%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.83 NT$26.77

116.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.55 NT$17.90

156.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.20 NT$38.81

165.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$1.28 NT$41.56

349.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$2.64 NT$85.6

-42.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.22 NT$39.62

95.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.64 NT$85.7

-32.95%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.05 NT$66.6

40.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$8.96 NT$290

13.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$7.43 NT$241

32.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$21.11 NT$685

-33.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.77 NT$122

5.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.96 NT$63.5

-20.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.91 NT$94.4

-25.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$3.10 NT$101

-29.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.53 NT$81.9

-22.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.91 NT$61.8

-16.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.20 NT$71.3

-47.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.89 NT$29.00

39.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.86 NT$125

2.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$10.90 NT$354

25.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,222

$1.40 NT$45.44

18.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,104

$2.10 NT$68.2

7.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.81 NT$91.2

-54.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.74 NT$23.97

177.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$7.07 NT$229

20.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.01 NT$32.81

33.66%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$36.7K NT$1.2M

-7.11%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$22.8K NT$738.9K

52.14%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$170 COP 533.7K

$68.0 NT$2,205

149.52%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$17.30 NT$561

-21.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$21.61 NT$701

29.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$10.84 NT$351

-36.25%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$797 COP 2.5M

$508 NT$16.5K

56.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$30.8K NT$1.0M

-70.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$12.19 NT$395

595.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$23.87 NT$774

142.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$62.2 NT$2,016

117.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$94.1 NT$3,052

3.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$211 NT$6,840

472.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$156 NT$5,064

310.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,374 NT$77.0K

-72.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.38

359.66%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Miaoli: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Miaoli

$156 20.3% 75.7% $485

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Miaoli

$306 39.9% 3.2% $9.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Miaoli

$107 13.9% 49.4% $104

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Miaoli

$84 10.9% 50.7% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Miaoli

$87 11.3% 48.8% $82

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Miaoli

$6.5 * 0.9% 93% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Miaoli

$22 * 2.8% 62.3% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $211 in Miaoli. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Miaoli are about 3.6 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $23 in Miaoli. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $306 in Miaoli – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇼 Miaoli

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

21:03 9:03 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

89,892

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.09 TWD (100 TWD = 2.77 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Miaoli 16,150 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Miaoli

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Medellin vs Miaoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 113%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,152 in Miaoli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Miaoli, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $211 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $23 in Miaoli. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Miaoli, where all-in costs run around $768, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Miaoli it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Miaoli – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.